XN000022-1985-10-31 — Page 18

مربا

MK ROBERTS: +THANK YOU, MINISTER. YOUR QUESTIONS NOW.

UESTION:

WELL, WE ARE HAPPY TO TAKE

NICK BEACROFT FOR RTHK: MINISTER, COULD YOU TELL US WHAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT IS GOING TO DO OR WILL DO ABOUT CONVINCING THIRD COUNTRIES ABOUT THE VALIDITY AND ACCEPTABILITY OF THE NEW BN(0) PASSPORT?

J

+ FENTON: YES. WE ARE..

..... WE HAVE NO DOUBT AT ALL. AND NO REASON TO DOUBT, THAT THIS NEW BN(0) PASSPORT, WHEN IT COMES INTO EFFECT FROM 1987 ONWARDS, THAT IT WILL BE WIDELY ACCEPTABLE TO OTHER COUNTRIES. WE PROPOSE TO APPROACH OTHER COUNTRIES SPECIFICALLY ON THIS ISSUE ONCE THE DRAFT ORDER HAS BEEN DEBATED AND ONCE THE WHOLE ISSUE OF THE PRECISE ENDORSEMENT ON THE NEW BN(0) PASSPORT, ONCE THAT IS FIRMLY IN PLACE. BUT WE DON'T THINK IT APPROPRIATE TO APPROACH OTHER COUNTRIES ON A HYPOTHETICAL BASIS. ON THE LINES OF SAYING + IF THIS WERE THE PASSPORT, WHAT WOULD YOU THINK ABOUT IT?+. BUT WE WILL BE APPROACHING OTHER COUNTRIES THE MOMENT WE KNOW THE PRECISE FORM OF THE DOCUMENT, AND OF COURSE WE ARE ENCOURAGED VERY MUCH, AS I AM SURE YOU WILL BE IN HONG KONG, ABOUT THE REMARKS BY VICE-PRESIDENT BUSH MADE WHEN HE WAS HERE TWO WEEKS AGO ABOUT THE ACCEPTABILITY OF THIS PASSPORT TO THE AMERICANS AND TO THE AMERICAN ADMINISTRATION.

QUESTION: (BY NICK BEACROFT) WOULD YOU SEEK A GUARANTEE THAT THE

BN(0) WILL BE ACCEPTED BY THIRD COUNTRIES AFTER 1997?

MR RENTON: I DON'T THINK IT IS POSSIBLE FOR US TO SEEK

QUESTION:

PRECISELY THAT GUARANTEE. I THINK THAT WHAT WE WILL DO IS MAKE CERTAIN IN THE TIME, AS I SAY, AFTER THE PASSPORT IS ITS PRECISE FORM IS KNOWN - THAT IT IS ACCEPTABLE. WE WILL ANNOUNCE THOSE FINDINGS AND, OF COURSE, ANY HONG KONG, ANY PRESENT BDTC PASSPORT HOLDER WILL BE ABLE TO TAKE HIS OWN DECISION AFTER '87 AS TO THE STAGE AT WHICH HE APPLIES FOR A BN(0) PASSPORT... HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO REASON TO DOUBT, AND I WOULD LIKE TO EMPHASISE THIS, BECAUSE I CAN WELL UNDERSTAND THE CONCERN ON THIS POINT AMONG PEOPLE OF HONG KONG, I KNOW THAT HONG KONG PEOPLE ARE VERY GREAT

TRAVELLERS AND THEY WILL WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE VALIDITY OF THE BN(0) PASSPORT. SO I WOULD LIKE TO REASSURE HONG, KONG PEOPLE THROUGH YOU THIS MORNING THAT WE HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO REASON TO DOUBT WHATSOEVER THAT THIS BN(0) PASSPORT WILL BE WIDELY ACCEPTABLE AND EVEN IF WE CAN'T GIVE A SPECIFIC GUARANTEE, WE WILL CERTAINLY BE LOOKING FOR ACCEPTABILITY THE MOMENT THE PASSPORT COMES INTO EFFECT, BUT AFTER 1997 AS WELL.

MR RENTON, PATRICIA PENN, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION: ONCE SUCH A PASSPORT IS ISSUED, HOW EASY OR DIFFICULT IS IT TO MODIFY IT IF IT PROVES UNACCEPTABLE?

/MR RENTON: